COMPARING HEALTH EFFECTS OF CAD IN SEVENTH-DAY

Comparing health effects of CAD in Seventh Day Adventist vegetarians and non-vegetarians

Comparing health effects of CAD in Seventh Day Adventist vegetarians and non-vegetarians

Introduction

Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) are known for their traditional beliefs and practices, such as their adherence to a vegetarian lifestyle. SDAs believe that any eating or drinking should honor God and the holistic nature of humanity, and, as a result of this belief, the majority of Adventists are lacto-ovo vegetarians (meaning they do not consume meat but do consume dairy products). The health interests of the SDA church, though, are broader than just the vegetarian lifestyle they promote. The church supports plans to help people quit smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating unhealthy foods and it also has many food bank programs and other social agendas. When studying longevity, one approach is to simply compare the average (or mean) age at death of one population with that of another. Vegetarian diets do not contain meat, poultry or fish; vegan diets further exclude dairy products and eggs. The content and health effects of the average diet of well-educated vegetarians living in Western countries, together with some information on vegetarians in non- Western countries. In general, vegetarian diets provide relatively large amounts of cereals, pulses, nuts, fruits and vegetables. In terms of nutrients, vegetarian diets are usually rich in carbohydrates, n-6 fatty acids, dietary fibre, carotenoids, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E and Mg, and relatively low in protein, saturated fat, long-chain n-3 fatty acids, retinol, vitamin B12 and Zn; vegans may have particularly low intakes of vitamin B12 and low intakes of Ca. Crosssectional studies of vegetarians and vegans have shown that on average they have a relatively low BMI and a low plasma cholesterol concentration; recent studies have also shown higher plasma homocysteine concentrations than in non-vegetarians Background The research works well when making international comparisons, but is not suitable for 'within-population' comparisons because governments do not generally record the diets of their citizens. A more common approach is to compare the death rates (mortality) of population groups. This approach involves studying a large group of people in what is called a prospective or cohort study. At the beginning of the study participants complete a questionnaire describing their diet and other aspects of their lifestyle. Participants are then 'followed-up' over a period of time and details of any deaths and their causes are recorded. Statistical methods are then used to compare death rates (mortality) between the cohort as a whole and some reference population, or between different groups within the cohort, for example, between vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Being a vegetarian is not mandatory in the Seventh-day Adventist church; however, it is recommended. The diet of choice is the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, which promotes the ample use of whole-grains, vegetables, and fruits. Incidentally, the founder of Kellogg's cereal was a prominent member of the church. A well-planned vegetarian diet is considered to be adequate for all stages of the life cycle including infancy, childhood and ...